Joint Local Aggregates Assessment for County Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear April 2013 Prepared jointly by Durham County Council Northumberland County Council Gateshead Council Northumberland National Park Authority Newcastle City Council South Tyneside Council North Tyneside Council Sunderland City Council Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. Background/context 4 What are aggregates? 4 What is a Local Aggregate Assessment? 4 Joint approach to the Local Aggregate 5 Assessment The Managed Aggregates Supply System 6 Timescale for the Local Aggregate 7 Assessment Preparation and consultation 7 Overview of the data used 8 3. Aggregate resources, Mineral Permissions 10 and Allocations County Durham 10 Northumberland 18 Tyne and Wear 23 4. Aggregate sales and permitted reserves 26 Current position on aggregate sales 26 Current position on permitted reserves 30 Imports and Exports 40 Sales of Recycled and Secondary 45 Aggregates 5. Economic and Environmental Constraints 49 and Opportunities 6. Analysis 52 Future supply of primary land-won 52 aggregates An assessment of the balance between 57 supply and demand Detailed analysis by sub-region - County 58 Durham Detailed analysis by sub-region - 63 Northumberland Detailed analysis by sub-region - Tyne and 65 Wear Future supply of marine aggregates 68 Future supply of recycled and secondary 69 aggregates Imports of aggregates 69 Joint Local Aggregate Assessment (Final) Contents 7. Conclusions and recommendations 71 Supply 71 Key issues for local development plan 74 preparation Appendices A. Land Won Aggregate Mineral Sites 78 County Durham 78 Northumberland 82 Tyne & Wear 85 B. Secondary and Recycled Aggregate 87 Facilities County Durham 87 Northumberland 87 Tyne and Wear 87 C. Mineral transport and processing 89 infrastructure County Durham 89 Northumberland 90 Tyne and Wear 91 List of Maps Map 1 The Joint Local Aggregates Assessment Authorities of County Durham, Northumberland 5 and Tyne and Wear Map 2 Aggregate resources and mineral 11 permissions in County Durham Map 3 Aggregate resources and mineral 18 permissions in Northumberland Map 4 Mineral Permissions and location of 23 wharfs in Tyne and Wear Map 5 Environmental Constraints and 50 Opportunities Joint Local Aggregate Assessment (Final) Introduction 1 1 Introduction 1.1 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (March 2012) introduced revised arrangements for managing aggregates supply, including a requirement for the preparation of an annual Local Aggregate Assessment (LAA) by mineral planning authorities working individually or jointly by agreement with another or other mineral planning authorities (MPAs). This Joint Local Aggregate Assessment (LAA) for County Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear has been jointly prepared by: Durham County Council Gateshead Council Newcastle City Council North Tyneside Council Northumberland County Council Northumberland National Park Authority South Tyneside Council Sunderland City Council 1.2 The primary purpose of the joint LAA is to provide the evidence base on which to base decisions on the scale, and geographical distribution of future aggregates supply, and accordingly this assessment should be seen as a technical evidence base document rather than a policy document. 1.3 Chapter 2 of this document provides background information on LAAs, the Managed Aggregates Supply System and how this LAA was prepared. Chapter 3 provides details of the aggregate resources in the joint LAA area, existing extraction sites and infrastructure for the supply and transportation of aggregates, including marine aggregates, recycled aggregates and secondary aggregates and Chapter 4 provides information of aggregate sales and reserves with planning permission. Chapter 5 provides an overview of the key economic and environmental considerations that could influence supply and demand. Chapter 6 provides analysis of future supply and Chapter 7 sets out the key conclusions and recommendations of this LAA. Joint Local Aggregate Assessment (Final) 3 2 Background/context 2 Background/context 2.1 This section provides background information on the purpose of the LAA, the Managed Aggregates Supply System and how the document has been prepared. What are aggregates? 2.2 Aggregates are defined as being hard, granular materials which are suitable for use either on their own or with the addition of cement, lime or a bituminous binder in construction. The most important applications for aggregates include concrete, mortar, roadstone, asphalt, railway ballast, drainage courses and bulk fill. 2.3 A distinction is often made between primary aggregates and aggregates from alternative sources (i.e. secondary aggregates and recycled aggregates): Primary aggregates are produced from naturally occurring mineral deposits and are also extracted specifically for use as aggregates and are used for the first time. Most primary aggregates are produced from hard, strong rock formations by crushing to produce crushed rock aggregate or from naturally occurring particulate deposits such as sand and gravel. Secondary aggregates are usually defined as aggregates obtained as a by-product of other mining or quarrying operations or aggregates obtained as a by-product of other industrial processes. Recycled aggregates arise from various sources including the demolition or construction of buildings and structures or from asphalt planings as a result of work to resurface roads and from railway track ballast. Recycling involves the processing of the waste material so that it can be reused. What is a Local Aggregate Assessment? 2.4 The principal purpose of a LAA is to set out the current and future aggregate supply situation in a particular area with respect to all aspects of aggregates supply including: land won resources including landbanks and allocations; secondary aggregates, whose sources come from industrial wastes such as glass, ash, railway ballast, fine ceramic waste and scrap tyres; and industrial and minerals by-products, notably waste from china clay, coal and slate extraction and spent foundry sand; marine sources, from areas licensed by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) for marine sand and gravel dredging. Over the next few years, the MMO will prepare Marine Plans around England to guide the licensing process; and imports into, and exports out of, the MPA area. The MPA must capture the amount of aggregate that it is importing and exporting as part of its Assessment. 2.5 In particular a LAA is expected to include: a forecast of the demand for aggregates based on the average of 10-years sales data and other relevant local information, including for example, the National Infrastructure Plan. MPAs should also look at the average 3 year sales in particular to identify the general trend of demand as part of the consideration of whether it might be appropriate to increase supply; 4 Joint Local Aggregate Assessment (Final) Background/context 2 an analysis of all aggregate supply options, as indicated by landbanks, mineral plan allocations and capacity data e.g. marine licences for marine aggregate extraction and the potential throughput's from wharves. This analysis should be informed by planning information, the aggregate industry and other bodies such as Local Enterprise Partnerships; and an assessment of the balance between demand and supply, and the economic and environmental opportunities and constraints that might influence the situation. It should conclude if there is a shortage or a surplus of supply and, if the former, how this is being addressed. 2.6 It is intended that LAA will provide the evidence base on which decisions could be taken on the scale, and geographical distribution of future aggregates production. Joint approach to the Local Aggregate Assessment 2.7 The NPPF advises that an annual LAA can be prepared by either individual or jointly by agreement with another or other mineral planning authorities. Accordingly, in order to provide evidence to assist in the preparation of new style Local Plans, Durham County Council, Northumberland County Council, Northumberland National Park Authority and the Tyne and Wear authorities of Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council, Newcastle upon Tyne City Council, North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council, South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council and Sunderland City Council have jointly prepared this LAA. Map 1 The Joint Local Aggregates Assessment Authorities of County Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear Joint Local Aggregate Assessment (Final) 5 2 Background/context 2.8 The mineral planning authorities have sought to work together in the preparation of this joint LAA as part of their ongoing commitment to work collaboratively on cross boundary minerals planning issues and in order to satisfy the 'Duty to Cooperate'(a) as set out in Section 110 of the Localism Act. The Managed Aggregates Supply System 2.9 The Managed Aggregates Supply System (MASS) exists to ensure a steady and adequate supply of aggregate minerals is available to meet the needs of the construction industry. It seeks to ensure that the geographical imbalances between supply (i.e. the locations where the mineral resources are found and can be extracted) and demand (i.e. the locations where the mineral resources are required) are appropriately addressed at the local level. MASS has operated for over 35 years and involved the Government providing guidelines for the provision of aggregates at both a national and regional level, based on forecasts of demand, and then apportioning these guidelines